'The Paradise which the righteous have been promised has rivers flow beneath it. Its fruit is everlasting, and its shade. That is the destiny for the righteous...’ (Koran, surah 13:35)

The gardens of Islam evoke many associations: oranges, roses, jasmin, shady trees, bubbling brooks, fountains, terraces with sublime views, as well as ornate pavilions that offer visitors places of intimacy to which to retreat. Berlin’s Museum für Islamische Kunst, housed within the Pergamonmuseum, is flinging open its doors with an inviting springtime exhibition featuring its most beautiful miniatures of horticultural depictions that variously shed light on the theme of the garden in Islamic art as an image of paradise, place of mystical exhortation, of visual representation, and, most of all, of recreation.
'With red wine, beautiful music, and among congenial friends, a party is held beneath the blossoming trees in celebration of the Lord and the arrival of spring!’ (Farrukhi Sistani, 11th c.)